This invention relates to a melted and delustered camouflaged fabric. Camouflaged materials have long been employed to conceal objects, personnel, and equipment in various terrains from visual detection. These camouflaged materials are drapable sheets or net structures of varying shapes and sizes. Camouflaged materials can be either a solid color or dyed or printed in multiple patterns to simulate the coloration of the terrain in which the camouflage is utilized. Typical examples include patterns of black, brown, and green colorants. Camouflaged material can be supported or draped around objects or equipment to be concealed with the ability to join multiple pieces of camouflage together at their edges to provide for a particular size depending on the size of the objects or equipment to be concealed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,069,796; 4,323,605; and 4,375,488 disclose camouflage materials consisting of flexible, two-dimensional sheets in which a pattern of cuts is made to provide holes and flaps simulating pieces of various multi-colored foliage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,863 discloses a laminated camouflage sheet composed of a blown, low density polyethylene layer, a vaporized metal layer, an adhesion film, and a woven cloth layer. The blown layer is die cut by a stamping apparatus to form arcuate slits which form tongues under action of internal stresses to curl outwardly from the plane of the camouflage sheet. Other types of camouflage material include that disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/898,424 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,451 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/898,332, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,978 both of which have been granted a Notice of Allowance and will be issuing in due course and both Applications are hereby incorporated by reference as is fully set forth herein. These Applications disclose a composite product comprised of an open mesh, net substrate which is bonded to a sheet material such as a woven fabric, film, non-woven, or the like. The sheet is colored in a desired camouflage pattern, bonded to the substrate along spaced lines of attachment, and cut to simulate the appearance of natural objects of the terrain, such as leaves or foliage, between adjacent lines of bonding to the net substrate. In its formation, indefinite length webs of a net substrate and a continuous sheet may be combined in faced relation and stitch-bonded along spaced parallel continuous lines, as by use of a Malimo.RTM. stitch-bonding machine or a quilting machine, to form continuous parallel channels or pockets along the length of a composite material. The composite net and sheet material is thereafter passed through a cutting machine having a plurality of generally U-shaped guide members disposed across the path of movement of the composite to enter each channel of the composite net and sheet and separate and space the net substrate from the sheet. As the composite moves through the guide members, a plurality of spaced, heated cutting wires engage the sheet transversely and reciprocate between the lines of stitches to cut a generally sinuous path through the sheet. The fabric lobes thus are formed on each side of the line of stitching to simulate the appearance of natural objects of a terrain such as leaves or foliage. The fabric is then heated to a temperature of 160.degree. to 220.degree. Fahrenheit to soften the lobes, without melting, wrinkling or delustering, while passing downwardly to allow lobes to fall away from the mesh. The lobes tend to fold on themselves while passing around a roller which creases the folds. A significant problem with this camouflaged composite product is that the leaves remain relatively flat and have a high degree of luster. This is very easy for the enemy to detect. Furthermore, there is no wrinkling which is absolutely necessary to convey to the camouflage lobes the shape of actual leaves or foliage. Furthermore, this structure is not very open to the outside, therefore an observer standing under the net could not easily and accurately identify threats from the outside. Furthermore, this merely falling away and folding does not achieve a true and permanent three-dimensional effect which is also a prerequisite to achieving a product which can easily evade enemy detection.
The present invention solves these problems in a manner not disclosed in the known prior art.